


Cohabiting

by Nitzer



Category: Topp Dogg | Xeno-T (Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fluff, Lazy Mornings, M/M, Pet Names, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, date night but like date day, kinda atmospheric, some bad words, stardom can choke, we trash p-goon just a little
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-24
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2019-11-05 02:57:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17910674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nitzer/pseuds/Nitzer
Summary: One lazy morning on their day off Sangdo accidentally says something that changes everything...or, maybe, it changes nothing at all.





	Cohabiting

**Author's Note:**

> we take some cheap shots at p-goon's failing marriage at the beginning of this bc it was just too hard not to (i would say it was affectionate but i always thought he was kinda trash lol)

Sehyuk isn’t the first of us to get married. I mean, I guess he is _legally_ but he’s far from the first to be treated as a husband. And, if he _ever_ even acted like a husband, he certainly wasn’t the first. It starts with cohabitation, but I guess we are all cohabitating. It’s different with me and Hojoon, though. It’s always been different with me and Hojoon. We were _living_ together.

The break while Stardom is waning but still won’t tell us that they don’t have the _money_ to give us a comeback is long and hard on everyone. The company becomes more and more withdrawn, leaving us to our own devices like there is a future at all, while they deal with the fallout of the lawsuit. We just know that there is no comeback and we are essentially in charge of our own schedule. So, on some unusually humid Wednesday in June me and Hojoon decide to take a day off. There’s not a whole lot left for us to do without any input from the company anyway.

It’s the time of year when we drag whatever bedding we can find out to the living room and take turns sleeping on the makeshift bed to get some relief from the heat. It was me and Hojoon’s turn when we decide to take the day off. And Jiho sneaks between us when we’re both too tired to turn him away (but we’ve never really found a reason to turn him away). He’s been markedly worse (in everything) since Seogoong left, always looking for comfort. But comfort’s always been hard to find between us. He makes do by wordlessly sneaking in between us and feeling safe for at least a night. When I wake up Jiho is snoring softly, his pretty face even prettier while sleeping. But nothing was ever stunning enough, beautiful enough, to tear my eyes away from Hojoon.

“Morning, honey.” Joonie’s face is lit up with a bright smile, accented with the soft sunlight filtering through our gauzy curtains. His hair is dark and plain, still just barely too short to be flattering. He is still a million times more stunning than Jiho or Byungjoo or anyone else in the world.

My face melts into a warm smile to match him. “Morning, Joonie.” It was still early enough that the heat of the day hadn’t set into the bones of the house, everything hazy and full of promise.

Hojoon shifts, the light sheet he was wrapped up in falling away to reveal more golden skin. One hand reaches out over Jiho towards me. And I always, _always_ want Joonie closer even when it’s not physically possible but some familial instinct overrides that.

I cover his hand midair as he’s sitting up, stretching towards me. Jiho is still soundly asleep between us. “Don’t wake him.” I breathe and in the early, humid air—between the only two people awake in the dorms—the words seem to hang between us.

“I won’t.” He promises and he continues his slinky, careful path towards me. He ends up half leaning over Jiho, his hand planted firmly on the space between Jiho’s arm and his body. It is precarious and unnecessarily dangerous but in the hazy, peaceful morning it seems entirely natural. He brings me in for a lukewarm and lazy kiss that is more “I love you” than “I want you.” It’s just heated enough for me to take my free hand and tangle my fingers in his hair.

He parts from my mouth with barely audible wet noise that is so good it almost sends a shiver down my spine. “ _Good_ morning.” Joonie emphasizes suggestively. My eyes flick between his barely dark, half-lidded ones and the pink tongue that darts out to wet his lips.

I pull him back in for a short kiss that is just a bare brush of lips. He snorts quietly against my lips and I laugh breathlessly back. There’s no room to go any further in a crowded dorm. Not now at least. And Hojoon keeps his promise, Jiho doesn’t even stir between us.

The “day off” is an unspoken date between us. Most of our dates are unspoken. Our first date, Hojoon just asks me to accompany to him to the convenience store closest to the company building and we eat ramyeon together at the rickety table outside the store. We don’t even kiss. It’s indescribably perfect. We’ve moved up from convenience stores, though. Even if any trip with Joonie is exciting just because of his company, we move on to _events_.

Both of us manage to relocate to the kitchen with Jiho undisturbed and I make us coffee while Joonie meanders through all of his half-finished plans for the day. “Then maybe we can go to that big shopping district, the one by the café you like, y’know?” He nearly slurs out, his words heavy with his own sleepiness and the ease of talking to someone he knows will understand regardless.

“Joonie, you hate that place because it has the sketchy elevator with the flickering light.” I remind him, stirring sugar into his coffee.

“Right…” His eyes wander over to where I’m stirring his coffee but they’re unfocused. “That’s fine because I wanna spend time outside anyway. I miss the sun.”

“The company doesn’t like it when I spend too much time outside.” I snort. “You either.” I toss out after some consideration.

“Well, the company can gargle my balls.” I laugh. I know that everything we’ve ever done—our whole relationship with our career and our company—is a careful balance of pure vitriol softened with tentative hope.

Taeyang finds his way into the kitchen, barely sleep-mussed like always and just barely missing out on Joonie hissing “balls.” Jiho trails behind, looking miserable and groggy.

“Jiho, you’re up early.” Hojoon observes casually into his coffee.

“I tripped over him on my way here.” Taeyang admits quietly, starting his coffee on my side of the kitchen.

“I woke up to his fucking foot in my ribs.” Jiho groans, slumping down next to Hojoon.

And the dorms start waking up, the air getting heavier and hotter with each passing moment. We all move slower in the unexpectedly hot weather, crawling through our morning routines. Jiho ends up dumping half his coffee because it’s too hot to enjoy. Taeyang escapes from the dorms to the AC of his studio way earlier than normal. Hansol skips out with an unusual burst of energy, maybe taking a day off of his own.

I end up sharing with the closet with Byungjoo who’s the last to limp out of the dorms in the sweltering heat. “Date night? Or…day, whatever?” He asks, struggling into a t-shirt.

I’m not even dressed up. If it wasn’t so hot I’d probably put more effort in but it’s so fucking hot. So I settle for a tank top and jeans. “How’d you know?” I laugh.

He finally slips his head into the shirt. “Hojoon’s out there with like a million different sneakers.” Byungjoo laughs back. “I can’t believe you still dress up with how long you’ve been together.”

“It’s good to have a reason to dress up.” I respond without thinking. I’m already caught up in Hojoon and all of his shoes. It’s still this brief period where Hojoon is really into sneakers and collecting them. It could take a really long time for him to pick a pair and I know I’m near famous for my patience but we only have one day and a lot to look forward to.

Byungjoo slips out while I’m fixing the collar of the light button-up I decided on. I still haven’t heard anything from Hojoon. I’m starting to get impatient because our dates are not ramyeon at the closest convenience store anymore. They’re something to get _excited_ about.

I open the door of the closet to be met with Hojoon at the entryway, surrounded by sneakers, deep in thought. I sigh, fond but exasperated. I slide behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist.

Joonie’s hands naturally drape over my arms, melting back into me. “Hey, love.” He greets. We’ve been through a lot of petnames in just a few short years. “Hyung” never sticks for Hojoon but he keeps “oppa” in his back pocket for jokes and to keep me on my toes. “Jagi” never feels right for either of us but sometimes it still sneaks into our conversations. Eventually Hojoon settles on “honey” and rarely strays and I stick with “Joonie.”

There is no precedent for what slips out of my mouth in response. “Yeobo, you look lovely.” I sigh into him. I’m just trying to gently push him towards the door, trying to get us moving again.

It takes both of us a moment to really hear what I’ve said. Hojoon tenses against me, his fingertips just barely pushing into my forearms. I tense too, unintentionally pulling his rigid body closer. The air around us freezes.

“Say it again.” Joonie finally breathes out.

“You look lovely.” I repeat, my body relaxing a bit against him.

“No, the other thing.” His voice is louder, more sure.

My body tenses against him again. The pause is tangible, hangs heavy in the air. “Yeobo.” I repeat quieter, heavier with meaning. And he _melts_ entirely into my waiting arms, his head resting back on my shoulder. I’m suddenly the only thing keeping him off the floor. “You like that?” My voice is entirely devoid of the dark edge it usually holds when I say that. I am openly vulnerable and curious.

He opens bright eyes and they lock onto mine immediately. “I _love_ it.” He whispers like a confession.

I crane my neck for a brief and uncomfortable kiss. “Then finish getting ready.”

His eyes turn expectant and he stays firmly in my hold.

“Yeobo.” I add softly.

A pleased smile breaks out on his face. “Hungry already?” He teases, bending down to lace up the sneakers he settled on.

And, I guess, maybe nothing changed at all. Maybe we were already married. We were already living together, splicing together what we could of a relationship between demanding careers and members who sometimes looked to us like we were their parents. Maybe it didn’t have to be said at all. Joonie knew I was ready to settle down with him whenever we were allowed. He knew I’d never look anywhere else, love anyone as much or in the same way. But “yeobo” felt more right on my tongue than “jagi” or “Joonie” or anything else. Felt so good. And Joonie looks so pleased with it, with the admission.

But it’s not really a proposal or a ring. Joonie doesn’t get the chance to joke about picking out a dress. None of the members get the chance to fight over who gets to be best man. No one even takes the chance to jokingly call us “mom and dad.” It’s just a beautiful slip of the tongue. It’s just a perfect beginning to a too-hot day off. It’s just what we had already been thinking anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> i wanted to write something real short and sweet bc i'm already in the process of something else topp dogg (but not sangjoon) related that's gonna be long and time-consuming and sangjoon is the one topp dogg ship that i'd die for  
> hmu for whatever at [tumblr](angelinmyheartt.tumblr.com) [cc](https://curiouscat.me/Nitzer)


End file.
